A typical pipette consists of a slender pipe or tube that is used to transfer or measure small quantities of a liquid or a gas from one location to another. The most common type of pipette consists of a small plastic tube that widens into a bulb at the middle or the end.
Liquid may be sucked into the bulb and, retained therein by closing the top end of the pipette with a stopper, a person's thumb or the like. Most conventional prior art pipettes, if used as medication storage device, inherently have, the following problems:
1. Filling a pipette with liquid medication is difficult due to the pipette's narrow opening and the tendency of the bulb to deform if improperly handled,
2. After the pipette is filled any subsequent processing of the pipette is difficult, primarily because the bulb can be inadvertently deformed, thus causing the liquid therein to flow out. In general, conventional pipette designs do not include any grasping sections that allow pipettes to be conveniently handled. The bulb cannot be used as a grasping point because of its tendency to deform, and the remaining parts of a pipette are also not suitable for grasping because the mass center of a pre-filled pipette is centered on the bulb.
3. A conventional pre-filled pipette cannot be adequately sealed due to the handling problem described above.
4. Conventional sealing methods are not efficient as they require more materials and additional processes to accomplish the required seal.
5. Conventional sealing methods are also not reliable because the seal can be easily ruptured, causing product leakage.
6. Conventional means of opening the medicinal product contained within a pipette are not convenient and provide little protection for the patient.
The problem described in items 1, 2 and 3 have been addressed by the applicant's issued U.S. Pat. No. 6,457,612. The instant application provides a solution to the problems described in items 4, 5 and 6.                A search of the prior art did not disclose any literature or patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention. However, the following U.S. patents are considered related:        
PATENT NO.INVENTORISSUED6,457,612Zhang, et al1 Oct. 20025,073,347Garren, et al17 Dec. 19914,875,602Chickering, et al24 Oct. 19894,563,104Saint-Amand7 Jan. 19864,483,825Fatches20 Nov. 1984
U.S. Pat. No. 6,457,612 discloses a pre-filled disposable pipette consisting of a hollow bulb dimensioned to enclose a medicinal product and having attached a medication transfer tube from where the pipette is filled and medicinal product released. The pipette has a primary grasping tab attached to an upper end of the bulb, a secondary grasping tab attached to each side of the tube, and a support tab also attached to each side of the tube near the lower end of the tube. The pipette can be automatically filled and sealed by a cap or heat applied foil.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,073,347 discloses a volumetric pipette for dispensing liquids. The pipette is formed as a unitary structure made of components which are bonded together to create a precision fluid dispensing device. The pipette includes a stem portion, which is separately formed and is bonded to a bulb portion to complete the pipette.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,602 discloses a liquid dispensing apparatus which includes a self-contained source of fluid that is normally isolated within a reservoir bulb. The bulb is deformed to initially rupture a membrane, thereby allowing the fluid to be forced through a shaft bore to saturate a tip-mounted swab. Alternatively, the membrane may be positioned intermediate two aligned sections of the shaft and is ruptured upon partial axial collapse of the sections.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,563,104 discloses a disposable liquid dispensing pipette which delivers an accurate and uniform drop of liquid of a given size and which incorporates an integral paddle stirrer. The device includes a dispensing tube that is connected to a flexible and resilient bulb and paddle stirrer. The open end of the tube can be made in various sizes to accommodate different drop sizes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,483,825 discloses a pipette having a liquid receiving hollow generally encompassed by deformable sidewalls. The pipette further has a tapered liquid outlet extending from one end of the hollow, and a liquid inlet on the other end of the hollow, within which is located a semi-permeable filter.
For background purposes and as indicative of the art to which the invention is related reference may be made to the remaining cited patents.
PATENT NO.INVENTORISSUED6,117,394SmithSeptember 20005,927,884KaoJuly 19995,702,035TsaoDecember 19974,779,768St. AmandOctober 19883,951,313ConiglioneApril 19763,792,699TobinFebruary 19743,495,917TruhanFebruary 1970